


They're All Swapped Up

by orphan_account



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Angst, Chuunin Exams, Fluff, Gen, Haruno Sakura-centric, Itachi - Freeform, Leave the poor kid alone, Preliminary rounds, Sai has fangirls, Sai is socially awkward, Sakura can't watch, Sasuke just wants to be normal, Spoilers, more confusion, sakura is confused, shy Kiba, very confused
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-02 06:05:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11503302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Sakura dies and ends up in an Alternate Universe. Sakura is VERY confused.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Reader93](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reader93/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Headcannon & Backstory - Haruno Clan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11489430) by [Reader93](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reader93/pseuds/Reader93). 



She has always been behind them. She always seems to be lagging behind in her team. Her teammates were absolute _powerhouses_ , yet she was the same as always. She was weak and useless. She stood back and watched. She _watched_ an she _cried_. That was all she seemed to be for until she decided she needed to help. She wanted to change. But wasn't it too late? No. There's always time. There's always a different way. She would try to change and grow at least.

She found guidance in Lady Tsunade. She learned to heal with medical ninjutsu. She worked hard. She studied. She focused. She grew stronger. She was still unsatisfied because her teammates were still so far ahead of her. Naruto was leaving to be trained by Jiraiya.

And Sasuke was taken awa- _no_ , she needs to accept the facts. Sasuke _ran_ away. He doesn't care about anybody. He doesn't care about _her_. Sasuke only cares about that 'ambition'. She realizes now that he never cared. He never really wanted to 'restore' his clan. He said it himself that day that he wanted to 'avenge' his clan. But is killing one of the last remaining members of his clan really the way to go? This may be her civilian mindset thinking now, but is it really right for Sasuke to kill his brother?

* * *

Sakura has learned a special technique from Tsunade. One that is dangerous. Medic-nin aren't to go on the frontlines unless they have this ability. The Byakugō no Jutsu. However, it requires a lot of chakra. She can't count how many times she has fainted because of it since. It takes so long, but it's worth it. If it'll make her stronger, _it's worth it_.

* * *

Naruto came back. She thinks at first that he appears more mature. Then, he pulls a stunt, saying he learned a worse jutsu that dreaded 'Oiroke no Jutsu'.

They fight Kakashi and win. And she gets to show off how much she has grown since Naruto left. They heard news of Gaara being taken by the Akatsuki and went after him. She defeated a member named Sasori with the help of Lady Chiyo.

* * *

After many events, Sasuke trying to and succeeding in killing Danzo for example, the Fourth Shinobi World War errupts. They fight some creatures known as 'Zetsu' and revived dead people. It was difficult, but she managed to survive. It was revealed that the Masked Man was apparently an old friend of Kakashi-sensei? And soon after or maybe it was before that happened, Madara appeared. At some point, Sasuke appears and claims he wants to become Hokage. And she's almost sure she's hallucinating.

Naruto nearly dies and she tries for so long to heal him: mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and even trying to manually get his heart to beat. Nothing seemed to be working. He temporarily died, too. Obito came and did something to him.

* * *

She died. She missed her shot, and she died. She never knew death could be so painful. The war will go on and everyone will die. And it'll be all her fault. She's turning to ash right now before her friends' eyes. Sasuke and Naruto and Kakashi-sensei; they must feel _something_. What will happen to her? What happens after death? She wouldn't really know. Sure, she has had some close calls, but she hasn't died before. And she's so scared of what awaits her on the other side. Will she live in eternal torment or be reborn or live in limbo unable to move on? Will she wander as a ghost?

What. Will. Happen?

* * * | * * *

The first thing she feels is confused. She looks at herself in a mirror. She looks different somehow, but she can't place why. Is she younger? Yes. She probably just doesn't recognize herself.

She walks downstairs and out of the house. She should pass Ino-

"What the hell? Is that the Hyūga Compound?" she asks under her breath as she keeps walking. She sees Hinata walk out and already wants to run when she sees Hinata smirk at her and walk at the same pace.

There's silence for a few moments. Something is different. Something is _very_ different.

"Speechless? It's expected from somebody as _inferior_ as you," Hinata finally taunts.

Sakura can sense the déjà vu already. She plays the part and counters, "No, I just can't believe they let someone like you _actually_ graduate. It's unbelievable!"

It seems she said something right because she throws back another taunt of similar caliber until they're just insulting each other. Sakura holds back though, feeling weird insulting Hinata who at this time should be shy and very insecure. What happened to her?

They eventually make it to the Academy and to their classroom. It's the same one.

"I win!" Sakura and Hinata exclaim simultaneously. Sakura realizes they are actually tied but explains why she made it here first for old time's sake. Looking around, she can already name three things wrong with this image.

1.) She can't even find Naruto.  
2.) Why the hell is _Sai_ here?  
3.) Sasuke is actually _smiling_.

Sasuke never smiled in his time at the Academy. At least not Post-Massacre. And Hinata is walking over there. She follows to hear the conversation.

Sasuke stands up and smiles, "Hey, Hinata. Do you want t-"

"Move it!" Hinata yells, pushing Sasuke away and smiling dreamily as Sai. "Hi, Sai. Is this seat open?"

He just looks over and seems like he wants to say something but isn't sure what. At least, _something_ is the same. It may be weird, but she'll take it. Any semblance of something normal is appreciated at this point.

She looks over to Sasuke and watches as he walks across the desk and crouches down to stare at Sai intensely. She hopes what she thinks will happen doesn't happen again. It scarred her the first time; it doesn't need to happen again and with _Sai_ of all people.

"Sasuke," Sakura asks slowly and calmly, "I think you should back away, alright?"

He looks at her and seems contemplative before shaking his head and glaring intensely at Sai who glares back. Now that she thinks about it, did Sai and Sasuke ever meet? She doesn't think so. This will be extra weird. Being on a team with Sasuke and Sai? She doesn't think she wants to do that.

Eventually, after a scene that results in Sasuke getting beat up that Sakura can't bear to describe, the teacher walks in. Mizuki-sensei? What ever happened to him anyways? He just seemed to not be anywhere after the Genin Exam in her remembrance of the world. Maybe this isn't even the same world?

"Squad 7: Uchiha Sasuke…," Sasuke perks up upon hearing his name. Sakura listens carefully for the next name.

"…Hyūga Hinata…"

"What? I'm doomed…"

Sakura thinks about this. Wasn't Hinata on Squad 8 though because she has the Byakugan which is valuable for the tracking team? And if things are turning out how she thinks they are, what would _she_ have to offer to a tracking team?

"…and Sai."

Sasuke gets depressed, and Hinata cheers this time.

"Squad 8: Haruno Sakura, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba."

She was right. And Squad 10 is the same, too. But Choji seems disappointed, Shikamaru seems way more excited than usual, and Ino is unusually quiet. It's like everyone's personalities and positions were swapped around.

"That's it," Sakura whispers to herself. She's in some weird life where Shikamaru is motivated, Sasuke smiles, and Naruto might not exist. She'll have to be better this time around. Or wait. Hinata took her 'spot'. She needs to repair her relationship with Hinata that she never broke or maybe even really had and assist her in becoming stronger.

The Jonin instructors slowly but surely file in, calling for their intended squads and leaving to do whatever other teams do.

Then, a woman walks in who she never saw before right beside Kurenai. Kurenai had been Squad 8's Sensei before, but everything seems to be different. How will things go this time?

"Squad 8: Haruno Sakura, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba," the unfamiliar woman calls out kindly, reading from the list. "You can come with me."

Kurenai goes ahead and reads off, "Squad 10: Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji."

She follows after a way too excited Shino and way too unexcited Kiba.

 _God_ , she hopes everyone isn't like this, or she'll have to relearn everything.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit longer than what I'm used to, but if I know anything about readers, it's that they like long chapters. More reading material and all.

Sakura, Kiba, Shino, and the woman sit in a circle in a park. Shino had unceremoniously plopped down without a care it the world as he leaned back casually. Kiba, however, had sat down slowly and quietly, not uttering a word or making any sort of sound. It was too weird to her in complete honesty. Sakura wanted to scream and pull out her long pink hair out of frustration.

Speaking of her hair, she plans on cutting it. She doesn't wish to hinder herself or her team by getting it caught on anything. Yes, she'll have to cut it as soon as possible. She's not making that mistake again. She's a kunoichi. Cutting her hair had been her first step to taking her chosen profession seriously, and she is very willing to do it again.

"Okay. I suppose we should introduce ourselves, yes?" the woman says. "I'll start. My name is Nohara Rin. My goal is to learn more medical ninjutsu actually. I suppose just tell me your name and your goal. Let's start with you, the fidgety one."

Salura looks over to the boys and sees Shino who is indeed fidgeting a lot like he wants to move but knows he should stay seated.

He looks up and speaks quickly and way louder than she has _ever_ heard him speak, "I'm Aburame Shino, and I'm going to be better than everyone even that weirdo Sai who everyone likes so much!"

Then, he goes on ranting about how he will do so and ends it with a confident smirk and somehow ended up standing with his hands on his hips.

"That was very… _informative_. Thank you for that speech, Shino," Rin-sensei says politely. "Um, next, the other boy."

"Uh, I'm Kiba. Inuzuka Kiba," he introduces nervously. "I like- I mean, I want to… or wait, my goal -- erm -- my dream is to protect my village an-and make my family proud."

He smiles kindly, and Sakura honestly want to hug him and promise that she'll help him gain confidence and get strong enough. He's just so different from the Kiba she knows. He's not loud, obnoxious, or arrogant. He doesn't seem like the type to jump to conclusions either or pick fights he's not sure he can win.

She wants so badly to give him the confidence she knows he can have. She wants to help him reach his goals because something about that desperate look in his eyes makes her want to help him. And his dream -- he called it a dream, not a goal -- is to make his family proud. Does he not think he can do that? Is his family not already proud of him? As much as she wants to help him, she has a lot of other problems to deal with first.

"And the girl that's staring off into space. Introduce yourself, please," Rin-sensei catches her attention.

"Oh. Sorry," she apologizes, sitting up straighter, and introduces herself. "My name is Haruno Sakura. My goal is… is…?"

What is her goal? She doesn't really like Sasuke? And like hell will she ever like _Sai_. She almost shivers at the thought. She needs a temporary goal. Or at least something very vague.

"My goal is," Sakura tries again, feeling she knows what she wants to do now, "to study some more. You can never know too much, right?"

"Yes, studying is important. Yes, you need to be strong, but strength is nothing if you can't use it right," Rin-sensei agrees wisely.

* * *

They have dug up potatoes in the rain, pulled weeds in the burning sun, walked stinky dogs, ran after vicious cats, and babysat bratty children all this week. Sakura is absolutely sick and tired of these menial _chores_. She is supposed to be a Chūnin, doing C- and maybe even B-rank missions!

Why did she have to be sent to the age of her freshly graduated Genin days? And with the twist that all her friends' personalities have been shifted around?! Was this to fuck with her mind? Is this actually a Genjutsu? Did she actually get caught in the Mugen Tsukuyomi? Is she caught with all those other shinobi and kunoichi right now, waiting for Sasuke and Naruto and Kakashi, and maybe even Obito still, to save her?

Regardless of if she likes it, she's here. Today, her squad got a break, and thank goodness for that! She can get to that studying. Sakura has been wanting to look into something for a while. She has collected many books on history, at least three that cover the formation of Konoha. Now she just has to read them and find out why Tobirama was the Shodaime Hokage, Madara was the Niidaime, how the hell _Danzo_ became the Sandaime, and just find out whoever the fuck the Yondaime is.

* * *

Yes, Sakura decides without a shadow of a doubt, this is an alternate universe than my own. It seems like simple switches, but that changes everything. She doubts she could name everything that changed, but she would have to literally retell history. She's sure even Gai-sensei is different. That would be a sight to see. Who would he be switched with though? Kakashi?

Sakura pauses everything to imagine Kakashi is green spandex and yelling about springtime this and youth that, maybe even with god awful eyebrows. What would his face look like? Would it be uncovered? Or would be still have his mask on even in this other world?

Sakura has to pause a moment longer to wonder who Obito would be switched with? Who says he would be switched at all?  She is just jumping to conclusions. For all she knows, he could be exactly the same, and she just doesn't know it because he's wherever he would be now doing… Obito things?

She should really get back to figuring out what else she need to fix. She looks down at her notes that she will organize later by urgency or which can be changed soonest.

1.) Fix Relationship With Hinata Quickly.  
2.) Help Kiba Gain Confidence  
3.) Where's Naruto?!?!  
4.) Why is Sai Here?  
5.) Is Sasuke the… 'Naruto' Here?  
6.) Find Out The Deal With Itachi.  
7.) GET STRONGER!!!  
8.)

Sakura decides to stop there for now. She _does_ have a lot of things to figure out, but she can't possibly figure them all out before the Chūnin Exams. The most important are repairing her broken relationship with Hinata, building Kiba's confidence, and sharpening her own abilities. She won't fall behind anymore. She won't be weak a second time around. That would be contradictory to… well, _everything_.

* * *

She waits in front of the Hyūga Compound. She had requested to see Hinata after she was done with her missions or on a free day. That is today. She sees Hinata walk to her and stop. Hinata looks at Sakura, and Sakura speaks, "I believe you would like an explanation for why I have summoned your presence today. Would I be correct in assuming as such?"

"Yes, in fact, you would. Now, hurry. I have a little sister to attend to in case you don't know," Hinata somewhat rudely says, obviously wanting to get this over with.

Sakura asks, "Would you mind walking with me as we talk?"

"This will take longer than I originally expected then. Fine. Let's go," Hinata sighs. "What do you want, _forehead_?"

"I want to be friends again. I don't care about Sa- _Sai_. I miss being friends. Do you think I could ever make it up to you?" Sakura asks.

Hinata is silent. She seems to be mulling over it, possibly shocking but actually considering it. Then, Hinata looks at her seriously, "Prove it to me."

"How would you like me to do that?" Sakura asks.

"I…," Hinata stops, maybe trying to think of something?

"How about this? I'll cut my hair. It was so Sai would like me, right? I'll cut hair as a tribute to no longer badgering after him, taking my kunoichi career seriously, and renewing our friendship," Sakura insists.

Hinata has that look that she's thinking about something. They continue to walk for a few minutes, and Sakura worries that she will decline.

"Then, I'll give you a week maximum to get it cut, understood?" Hinata decides firmly.

"Yes, ma'am," Sakura agrees. "Talk to you later, Hinata."

"See you later," Hinata calls back as she walks away, "Sakura."

It wasn't an insult, and there was no scorn or sarcasm in her voice when she said it. She really meant it and expected Sakura to hold up her side of the deal, and she would. Sakura is so glad she decided to hold off on cutting her hair for this long.

* * *

"Hey, Kiba, would you like to spar together with me? I could give you pointers, and I could use a good sparring partner. You seem pretty strong," Sakura inquires her teammate.

"Oh. Um, but why all of the sudden?" Kiba asks nervously, already wincing as if he expects Sakura to yell at him that he's weak or something. He isn't abused, is he? She sure hopes not. That's illegal. She'll have to investigate later. If that's the case, she'll have to get him out of that house before he can move on and even start to improve.

"Some of your techniques seem a little awkward, and as your teammate, I find it to be my duty to help you if you're having difficulty with something," she explains calmly and reasonably.

"That… makes sense. Alright. Thank you very much," Kiba thanks her.

"It's no problem at all. If you ever need anything, I'm here. I'll listen to any problems you have, too, if you want. Please, don't hesitate to ask," Sakura tells him kindly.

He smiles and asks, "When do we start?"

* * *

"Building Kiba's confidence is a work in progress," Sakura tells herself as she tries to organize her thoughts. "I need to cut my hair by Thursday, and I've been meaning to cut it anyways. I should do that now actually."

Sakura walks to her desk and opens a few drawers in search of a pair of scissors. She eventually finds some.

"This will take a while," she realizes, "but it'll be worth it."

By the time she's done, she realizes she shouldn't cut hair ever, much less her own. Sakura sighs in exasperation, "You'd think I'd learn that the first time around, but apparently not. Mom and Dad are going to freak out about this, aren't they? I better tell them now."

It actually goes better than she expected.

* * *

"Squad 8, these are forms to sign up for the Chūnin Exams. If you think for any reason you shouldn't participate, don't come back here tomorrow, but should you be willing. You'll meet here, and I'll tell you what to do after that, okay?" Rin-sensei explains.

"What are these for?" Sakura decides to ask, not sure if Kiba woulvever work up the courage, and Shino would end up somehow telling a big speech about how great he is.

"Oh, yes! Sorry. I almost forgot," Rin-sensei apologizes then explains. "These are for the Chūnin Exams. You are currently Genin. The next rank up in Chūnin. Then, Jonin, the same rank as I am."

"Chūnin Exams?! So it's a test! Ah! I suck at tests!" Shino panics, going on and on until he'll eventually rant himself into confidence. Sakura finds this world to be really weird and very different from her own. She almost feels homesick from how nothing is the same. It's like the world is shoving all the differences in her face, mocking her almost.

She'll find a way out but only after she saves this world from meeting the same fate hers did. She hadn't been fast enough. She wasn't strong enough. She'll lead everything down a better path if it's the last thing she does.

"Sakura, do you think… um, I mean, not that you-" Kiba starts.

The pink-haired dimension hopper grins and nods, "Yeah, I think you'll do great! Do you want to squeeze in some last minute training before we do the Chūnin Exams. You too, Shino! Do you want to train with us?"

"Th-thank you… Sakura," Kiba responds softly with a smile that is so heartwarming.

"Well, since you're offering, I can't refuse, can I?!" Shino exclaims. "I can't let you guys get stronger than me! That would be the same as letting my guard down!"

As different as this world is, even if she can't make it back to her own, she could probably settle in here pretty well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *refer to Road To Ninja

"Are you guys going to do the Chūnin Exams?" Sakura asks first when she sees Kiba and Shino finally arrive. Shino goes to tell a speech about how he came to his decision to participate. Kiba just says that he is, in fact, going to do said Chūnin Exams.

"That's good," Rin-sensei states, suddenly proofing next to them. "You need all three members of your squad to participate this year. Konoha encourages teamwork after all."

"Well, come on, guys. We have to get to the room, right?" Sakura insists as she guides her teammates inside.

They walk in and up a couple sets of stairs when they spot a crowd around a door.

"You'll never make it to Chūnin..." "...If you can't even get through _us_."

Sakura looks at the people blocking the entrance, about to her the living daylights out of them, when she realizes a couple of things. First, people would question how a Genin was able to have the strength of Tsunade… or whoever Tsunade is in this world. Sakura pauses and thinks about who she was switched with. Would she be switched with someone like Shizune? Or Jiraiya? Or…

She stops that train of thought, not wanting to think of something as horrendous as that. Tsunade being switched with… him.

Back on track, next, if she remembers correctly, it should just be Genjutsu.

And last of all, this is where she had met Rock Lee and the rest of Team Gai. What will they be like this time?

Sai, Sasuke, and Hinata walk in right at that moment. Sasuke is still smiling and being more Naruto-like than she ever cared to see in her life. Even that one time when the Masked Man (that is actually Obito, she realizes now) sent Naruto and her to another dimension*, it wasn't this bad. Sai isn't smiling like she's used to seeing him as; it's really unnerving to see both of these. And Hinata seems far more confident that her own was as this point.

Why does the world like showing off that she's not from here so much?!

"Kiba, Shino," Sakura requests, "will you go on ahead to the _actual_ room? I'd like to speak with Hinata."

"Alright! I'll protect Kiba and us to the room!" Shino boasts, even though it's just a small task.

Kiba adds, "I'll make sure we don't get lost."

Sakura gives a small smile to him. She'll help him out, no matter what. That's what teammates are for. Then, the boys walk down the hall to the next floor.

"Hinata, I'd like to talk about some rumors I heard," Sakura starts as she takes hold of her and meanders down the hall, away from the room crowded with people.

"Some rumors?" Hinata asks.

"I heard you meant on a C-rank mission recently. Tell me everything," Sakura insists.

"Oh. Well, don't tell anybody, but it turned out it wasn't a C-rank at all but an _A-rank_ ," she informs Sakura.

Sakura acts surprised, "Really?! Did you fight anybody?"

Hinata's eyes flicker to the left before meeting Sakura's green eyes again. She smiles and answers, "N- Yes! Of course, I did! You don't think I'd just stand back and watch as Sasuke and Said did all the hard work, do you?"

"No. Next, you're Sensei was late the first day. Who is it?" Sakura continues. Who switched with Kakashi-sensei? Asuma-sensei, she muses. She has to keep herself from giggling at the idea.

"Oh, it's Obito-sensei," Hinata replies.

Obito. Sakura freezes. _Obito_. Processing this information is difficult. Obito? Sakura is frozen. Sure, he turned out good in the end, but he's still frighteningly powerful last she checked. Obito?! Wait! If Obito didn't turn out in his spot, _who did he switch with_?!

"Sakura, are you okay?" Hinata asks worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just think I've heard the name before somewhere. That's all. Sorry for worrying you," Sakura lies.

She doesn't _think_ she knows the name. She _knows_ she knows the name.

* * *

Apparently Shizune had switched spots with Kabuto? Sakura finds that a little off-putting, but it sort of makes sense. Kabuto and Shizune were both a desciple of some sort to a Legendary Sannin. Were people skillfully swapped, Sakura wonders? It seems like people who were switched around were swapped with someone who was close to them or has a similarity with the person.

Back on topic, Shizune is reading cards on some people. Somebody suggests Sai, who has amazing statistics, just like Sasuke had. She hadn't really thought about it much, but was Sai switched with Sasuke? That means Sai was switched with Sasuke, Sasuke was switched with Naruto-

"What about Temari?" Sai asks. Sakura is confused. Temari? Wasn't it-? Oh, Temari and Gaara. Okay. Did all three of the Sand Siblings switch with each other? Or did Kankuro switch with somebody else? Who even _would_ he switch with? _Konohamaru_?

"Okay, maggots! Shut up now before I make you!" Sakura hears. She slowly turns and sees a horrific image. She never thought she'd see Ibiki _ever_ smile, even in an alternate universe. It's manic and insane but a smile, and it scares her to the pits of Hell and back.

"Okay! You brats are going to come up here, pick a number, and sit in that seat for the first test! Now, get to it!"

Sakura just finds her seat quickly and looks for her teammates. Sakura wonders how she'll manage to gather information. Shino, Kiba, and she are a tracking team, not an information-gathering team. Hopefully, nobody will give up. If this Sasuke is anything like her Naruto was, by the time the last 'question' comes, he'll give some sort of inspirational speech about not giving up or something. The test hasn't even started yet, and she's reminiscing. She had failed the first time she took the Chūnin Exams. She successes the second time. This time, she'll price her worth. She'll prove she's capable. She wants to help and improve as soon as possible. She wants to _understand_ as soon as possible.

She stares at the back of the test, already nervous about what will become of her in this unfamiliar territory. She remembers asking for more details about Hinata's mission. Finally, he declares the beginning of the test.

Sakura flips the paper over and scans the contents only to discover she knows the answer to all of them. Now, how will she get the answer to her teammates? She's not a Yamanaka, and none of her teammates are Hyūga. Will she even be able to make it to Chūnin rank? Would that be a good idea? Last time, only Shikamaru made Chūnin after the exams. She may not be able to foretell what it to come if she continues to change things. What should she do?

She fills in the answers to the nine questions and looks around for other differences. No sign of somebody who might be Orochimaru, but there's somebody who looks way too much like Jiraiya, and she wants to break down right there. This is so hard and weird. Jiraiya is Orochimaru in this world?!

Why couldn't she have just died like a normal person? Why couldn't she have just been sent to the Pure World and been done with it?

"Okay, the next part of the test. The last question. I've decided to up the stakes, so," the proctor starts mysteriously, "if you don't answer this question right, then, you'll never make Chūnin! However, if you back out now, you'll have a chance next year. However, if you don't take this last question, the rest of your squad is ineligible to participate in the rest of the Chūnin Exams."

Sakura looks to Sasuke who seems troubled. He looks around almost as if he wants support. People continue to give up an apologize to their teammates for ruining their chances. She meets Sasuke's eyes and gives a knowing smile. He smiles as her and can see the thanks in his eyes. He slams his hand down on the desk.

"I won't back down! I don't care if I have to retake this test over and over! Even I can't be Chūnin, I'll become Hokage and be seen as something more! So throw what you have at me, I'll take it head on!" Sasuke yells. It's almost inspirational. Almost because she still wonders where the hell Naruto is. He couldn't just not exist, could he?

"Is that so? Well, will anybody else leave?" he waits. "No? Fine. The rest of you pass then. I'm getting really rusty, aren't I?"

The door opens, and in walks Anko looking professional and serious.

"Alright, now, it's time for the second part of the Chūnin Exams. I'll explain it on the way," she informs them before walking right out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Sakura, with her teammates standing on either side of her, think about her team's scroll: the Heaven scroll. They're searching for an Earth scroll. However, she told her team they have an Earth scroll. It's a part of her strategy. Not only do they believe their scroll is the Earth scroll, she handed a fake Earth scroll to Kiba. She hates deceiving him, but it's a necessary evil. Speaking of Kiba…

"Kiba, you're from the Inuzuka clan, right?" Sakura asks.

"Um… yes! I-I am. Why do you ask?" the shy boy inquires.

"Well, Inuzuka are known for having dogs. Why don't you have one? You're a shinobi after all," Sakura asks. Being born as a civilian, she never understood shinobi affairs. Even when she was promoted to Chūnin and was mentored under Tsunade, it still confused her.

"Oh, um, no. You see, my clan doesn't… I mean, my family. I am… My clan and I… er," he stutters and stumbles over his words, trying to find the words he wants.

"Do you not get along with your clan?"

"Sort of…," Kiba whispers as if it's painful to admit.

Sakura wonders why. Why doesn't his clan like him? Why would they dislike him so much that he'd be practically disowned? Wasn't he the clan heir or in the main family at least?

"You may enter and begin the exams as soon as the gate opens. Does everybody remember the rules because I refuse to repeat? You should listen to directions the first time," Anko says way too seriously for Sakura's liking. In her own world, Anko had been more crazy and fun. It's so weird. It throws her off so much.

There's a countdown. Then, the gates open, and everybody runs in. Half a mile in, they stop to plan. Sakura starts, "Okay, we're a tracking team. Let's use that to our advantage. It's our best bet."

"What's our plan?" Kiba asks, and Sakura begins to explain what she has in mind.

* * *

They're hiding. They had the misfortune of coming across the Sand Siblings. And at this time Temari, who is the Gaara of this world, is mentally unstable because of her Bijū. Sakura doesn't know if this is coincidence or if the Squad 8 of her universe also saw this.

Temari already has her victims -- some unfortunate Rain-nin -- caught in some sand. Sakura knows this move. This is what almost caused Lee to have to give up being a shinobi. Thank goodness they had found Lady Tsunade. She saved him. Who would Lady Tsunade be in this world? And who would be Lady Tsunade?

The ninja are dead in moments. Barely a minute passes before sand travels towards them and Sakura sucks in a breath. The sand grabs the cork to Temari's gourd. And Sakura has never been more thankful. The Jinchuriki hasn't been sympathized with yet.

"Temari, do you think they'll be proud of me? I mean, _us_. For being the first to make it," Kankuro asks with a bright smile as if he's proud of himself.

"Shut up," Temari says as she walks away, crossing her arms.

"Uh, yeah, um, be quiet, Kankuro. We don't want to upset her," Gaara says with an almost panicked voice. "W-we should go to the tower now though! We have both of the scrolls now, see?"

Gaara holds up their scroll, and the newly retrieved scroll from the ninja. Sakura watches her teammates to make sure try don't do anything stupid. Shino can make bad decisions sometimes if he thinks he can take someone on by their first impression. The Sand Siblings leave, and as soon as she's sure they won't be able to sense or hear them, she stands up and breathes.

"Come on, guys. Let's hurry up and find a scroll. If it's the same as we have, give it to me. Something is better than nothing, right?" Sakura suggests.

"What's the plan, Sakura?" Shino asks, finally being serious and not going on a rant about how he pulls the entire team's weight.

"Remember yesterday when I told you the backup plan. I'm going to have to do that thing," Sakura says before looking around. She's not sure how long she will have.

She sucks in a deep breath, focuses chakra, and let her breath out with mighty yell as she smashes her fist into a tree.

The wood cracks violently and the entire tree falls down. Now for phase two. "Do you guys remember the plan?" Sakura asks.

Shino nods and is clearly biting his lip to keep from being too loud. Kiba just responds with a quiet, "I-I do."

Then, they hide and wait. After a few hours, a team finally appears. Sakura signs to her teammates.

"We know your there," a person in the trio calls out. Sakura isn't sure if he's bluffing, but she won't go out yet.

"One in the bushes, two in the trees, there are signs that someone has been here a while ago, and everyone heard that sound -- the tree. I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm willing to negotiate," the guy says.

Negotiate. This guy really wants to talk. She hops down, and her squad follows suit. She asks, "What's your deal? I need to know all the details."

"I'll tell you this. Our goal isn't to 'win' the Chūnin Exams. We come to sabotage others. What scroll do you have? I'll swap you with the same scroll. How's it sound?" he asks.

"Do you think we're stupid? No way are going to do that! That's pointless. We're not going to associate with this guy, right, Sakura?" Shino rants.

"Hm… give them the scroll. I see no harm in it. We'll swap. Deal?" Sakura contradicts Shino.

Kiba, trusting Sakura, tosses their Earth scroll to the other guy who tosses his own Earth scroll back to Kiba. Then, the guy and his team walk away. Sakura takes the scroll and says, "We just have one last place to go. Kiba, do you think you could use your sense of smell to track Sasuke?"

"Um, well, I'd need something of his. You know, like--"

"Like this?" Sakura cuts him off with a smile, hoping she didn't offend him too much. She holds in her hand a sock she had… _acquired_ from the boy's apartment.

"That'll be fine," Kiba responds.

* * *

Hinata is hiding in a tree trunk, caring for her teammates who had gotten themselves hurt. They had fallen unconscious. Sai was targeted it seems. She had tried to help. She really did, but she only got in his way. And Sasuke, as annoying as he can be, really saved Sai and her.

That weird guy was scary and creepy, and she doesn't want to ever see him again. Hinata looks to Sai who the guy had put some of… _seal_ on. She hears a noise and jerks to alertness. Squad 8 steps out from the shadows. Sakura runs to her, quickly giving her a hug. Then, she helps Hinata up.

"I have no time to explain. Take this scroll while I heal your teammates," Sakura quickly says as she starts healing Sai first. She checks for anything unusual.

And just as she suspected, just as she _feared_ , Sai has a mark on him. From the seal, even though she hadn't known him that well, she knows it was Jiraiya. Jiraiya is this world's Orochimaru. But why would he want Sai? Does he have a kekkei genkai that interests him like the case had been with Sasuke and Orochimaru?

Or maybe that's not the case at all? Sometimes, things are impossible to tell. She really wants to scream. Sakura continues to try to heal Sai, but he just won't wake up. She _knows_ he's not dead. He just doesn't _want_ to wake up. Or could he be having a nightmare.

"Sai isn't feeling well."

"Did you hear what his brother did?"

What was that? Where is that coning from? She doesn't understand. She doesn't understand! She wants to understand! Why won't somebody just tell her?

"Somebody just…"

"What, Sakura? Is something the matter?" Hinata asks. "I-I…"

"Nothing. Everything's alright. I think he-" Sai blinks his eyes open.

"He's waking up?" Sakura asks, confused by the turn of events. "Ugh. Whatever. We all have to go now. And whatever you do, _you can't trust Shizune_. Come on, guys."

Then, Sakura, Shino, and Kiba run off, leaving a confused Sai, a worried Hinata, and an unconscious Sasuke.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came much faster than I thought it would. And I had to reference the Chūnin Exam fights and translate it, but I think it turned out great.

Sakura, at this point, is standing as she watches Sai fight one of the Sound-nin? She's not questioning anything at this point. Maybe they're not even a Sound-nin, maybe they are. The pink-haired girl couldn't care any less than she does now if she tried. Everyone around her is worried for Sai or silently cheering him on. At least, that's the case for the Konoha shinobi and kunoichi.

Sai eventually wins with a move that reminds her of Rock Lee. Speaking of Rock Lee, she looks around for him and stops and gapes at him. What the hell is he wearing? It's almost worse than before. He looks like some edgy cool kid wannabe. He has a dark shirt and pants, a dark gray jacket with fur, and she doesn't even want to think about the excessive eyeliner. _And he's sleeping through it all._

She stands corrected. She _is_ still questioning everything. This monstrous sight in particular. She freezes. Rock Lee is a mini-me of Gai-sensei. Who switched with Gai? She looks around for a similarly looking person and would've done a spit take had she been drinking anything.

Kakashi-sensei. He's different. And he's not wearing a mask, but something is preventing her from seeing the lower half of his face. It's like it's not even there. Like it has been destroyed from reality but it's still there. Is her mind perhaps censoring it because it would be unnatural for her to see it?

"Hyūga Hinata versus Haruno Sakura."

Sakura looks down at the fighting area. Last time, she had tied with Ino. This time, she will win against Hinata at all costs. Sakura notices something though. Her hair. Had she sill run into the Sound-nin?

Sakura walks down and meets Hinata in the arena. Sakura moves her shinobi headband that she had placed around her waist on a whim and places it over her forehead -- the forehead that had given her problems as a child that now serves at the holding place for her proof as a proud kunoichi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

"Begin!" the proctor exclaims as he jumps away.

Sakura rushes forward, throwing a punch at her alternate universe rival-turned-friend. She briefly muses over who Ino will fighting. She ducks under a fist thrown by Hinata. Hinata can use her Byakugan, right? What is she waiting for? Is she waiting for Sakura to drop her guard?

Sakura drops down for a lowsweep that trips Hinata who rolls back into a standing position, already running at Sakura again. Sakura hops over Hinata entirely when she aims a fist for her stomach. From behind her, Sakura throws her fist forward, feeling some major déjà vu. She misses Kaguya, but she won't miss Hinata.

She focuses her chakra in her fist enough to send her opponent across the arena. And she doesn't hit her back as she had intended. Hinata had turned around, resulting in some twist of luck, a punch to the jaw. It still sends her across the arena. Sakura grabs a kunai, runs over, and holds it to her neck as she restrains Hinata's arms behind her back.

"The battle is over. The winner is Haruno Sakura," the proctor announces. She can hear the cheering of Shino over everyone. She looks back and sees Kiba smiling shyly at her.

Sakura returns her kunai and helps Hinata up. Hinata grins and asks, "When did you get so strong, Sakura? You have to give me some pointers sometimes."

"I've been practicing," Sakura catches her up as the two girls walk back to the stands. "Maybe you could train with us -- that's Kiba and I."

"Oh? How's he improving?"

* * *

Choji had fought Gaara apparently followed by Rock Lee fighting another Sound-nin. Gaara and Rock Lee both won their fights.

"Uchiha Sasuke and Aburame Shino."

Sakura has to stop and think about what this matchup. This fight should be the equivalent of Naruto and…

Does that mean Shino and Kiba switched? It sort of makes sense. In a weird swapped universe sort of way. No, it really doesn't make sense! Why is everyone switched around?! This is way too confusing! Sakura feels a headache coming on. Shino is supposed to be a wise man of few words. Kiba is supposed to be a powerhouse who is arrogant and short-tempered. Naruto should be here instead of Sai who should be Sasuke. Lee shouldn't look or be edgy or lazy. Shikamaru should be following Nara stereotypes. Ino should have been her opponent down there, and Hinata should be shy! God, she misses her friends. Who's the godawful person who made this Hell?!

Sakura looks down there just as Sasuke makes the most embarrassing win she could possibly think of. It's more embarrassing for her to see Sasuke win the same way because she still compares him to the cool, mysterious guy she had a crush on as a child.

"Next, Yamanaka Ino versus TenTen."

"What the fuck," she says. It had intended to be a question and maybe a little quieter, but it gets her point across just as well.

She watches TenTen stand across from a shy Ino. No. No, no, no. _Fuck_ no. Hell fucking no.

"Will you excuse me? I need to go," Sakura says to anybody who cares as she walks out and to where she will hopefully find a bathroom.

* * *

When she returns, the fight is still happening, but intense action is happening. And TenTen is winning. She watches as TenTen throws a miscellaneous weapon at Ino and successfully puts her out of commission.

"Oh! Hey, Sakura! You're back. You missed everything. That TenTen girl seriously beat Ino up! I… kind of feel bad for her," Shino informs Sakura, losing his normal enthusiasm towards the end.

Sakura's heart hurts. Seeing her new friend who she knows to be talkative and easily excitable being so quiet and upset, it bothers her. As much as she misses her own quiet and wise Shino, she has to accept this world. And for this time, this is Shino. And he's worried about his friend.

Sakura smiles and laughs a little, "Don't worry! I'm sure she'll be just fine. She's strong. You have to give her some credit."

Sasuke is yelling at TenTen about one thing or another. If it still reflects her own life, he should be wanting to avenge her and to beat TenTen up. But she can't hear it. Her ears are ringing. She still loves Sasuke. But this is a weird, optimistic alternate universe Sasuke.

She has to move on. He just looks like him. She never truly loved Sasuke anyway, right? Right. It's just a childish crush that came back to mess with her… right?

"Temari versus Nara Shikamaru."

A way too excited Shikamaru hops down there and yells in excitement. She flinches at Shikamaru's overexcited double, not that _her_ Shikamaru was here by any means.

And the battle begins. It's intense. And Shikamaru is surprisingly fast. It reminds her so much of Rock Lee. Wait. Rock Lee. Rock Lee had been nearly disabled in this fight. Shikamaru will be destroyed! She wants to scream and yell to him to be careful or that it's not worth it. She wants to tell him everything. But he's too determined. He will fight and train until his last breath. And she's positive death won't keep him down. If Shikamaru is anything like the Rock Lee of her world, then, he won't listen, and if he does, he'll be even more determined to fight Temari.

So Sakura is left to watch as Shikamaru just keeps going. He uses all his usual moves, but Temari blocks him from succeeding every time. At some point, he drops ankle weights that are possibly ten times his own weight. He and everyone else is left to think he is winning. But Sakura knows the truth.

"I can't. Not again. Rin-sensei, make sure Shikamaru doesn't get hurt too badly. I can't watch this any longer," Sakura requests her sensei.

"Oh, uh, alright? Do you not believe in him?" Rin-sensei asks worriedly.

"Oh, I didn't mean to imply that. I do believe in him, just not against Temari. She really unnerves me," Sakura enlightens the woman.

"Alright. I'll watch out for anything suspicious if that'll ease your nerves," she suggests.

"Thank you so much. I'm going to visit Ino."

* * *

Sakura walks around. She had briefly checked in on Ino. Then, she walked around for a while before returning to her team in the stands.

She seems to come back just in time. The proctor asks the winners to go down there. They all do. He explains the specifics. Then, they all have to draw numbers. Sakura pulls out the number nine. She realizes there will be one extra battle because she made it to the final rounds.

"The Finals will take place a month from now," the proctor starts as he continues to explain that there will be important people coming to watch, and it allows the participants time to train for the final round and such.

Sakura looks at the board. Her opponent will be that one guy. The one that had been who the Sasuke of her world fought in the preliminaries.

Sakura wonders what she is supposed to do now. She has a whole month to train and prepare to fight her opponent. If she is correct, he should be the chakra-sucking guy. Her Sasuke had been able to beat him with his own power. Sakura should theoretically have the power of a Chūnin, so she can do this!

One month to train. That'll be more than enough! She might have time to settle some things that have been bothering her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This may be heartwarming. So angst and fluff

Sakura is walking. She has been curious about the Uchiha clan for a while. She knows this Sasuke is supposed to be 'Naruto', but does that mean his clan still remains? Maybe they kicked him out when he was young? Or maybe the Uchiha switched with the Uzumaki. That would be a neat twist. The Uchiha being a large clan in a different country wiped out near entirely. However, she can't help to consider that maybe the Uchiha clan was still massacred by Itachi for… _whatever reason he did that_. If she knows anything about shinobi and kunoichi by now, it's that they usually have a motivation; something would make them do the things they do even if it's silly or impossible. But impossible doesn't quite have the same meaning as it did when she was still an academy student.

Finally, she finds herself staring at what once was the Uchiha clan's compound. She had visited a few times to pay her respects. This compound is different. It's still empty, but it's in ruins. Almost everything is stained some shade of red. She slowly inches closer and inspects the buildings, the ground, the remains of a fruit stand, and a certain wall.

The building are crumbled and are surrounded and filled will ashes. The wood is dark black. The ground had a lot of unnecessarily upturned dirt, and too much of it seems to be coated in long dried blood. The fruit stand is swarmed with flies and the stench of decayed fruit is clear. And that certain wall unnerves her the most. It makes a chill go down her spine. In blood and encircled in a heart, it says one word -- one _name_ : SASUKE.

She leaves immediately, having a feeling she shouldn't be here. Technically, she shouldn't have entered at all, but… Sakura isn't sure why she went in at all. The trails of dry blood an the wreaked buildings would be enough to know that the massacre still took place. She isn't sure what she expected to see, but it makes her more determined to help this world. Sure, she wants to go home, but she can't leave without helping everyone as best as she can.

"Did you see something you didn't like?" she hears from behind her. She had seen him before, but she had kept a distance. Now, she's looking at him. Uchiha Obito slouched with his hands in his pockets with a lazy grin.

"Uh… Yeah, sorry. I was… curious," Sakura admits awkwardly to him. He doesn't have any scars on the right side of his face from whatever had caused him to have those in his world, and he doesn't have a scar over his eye like Kakashi-sensei had.

"You look like you're interested. Do you want to talk about it?" he suggests with an undertone that implies he wants as much information as possible.

"What do you want to know?" she inquires. She'll answer as best as she can. She doesn't care if he thinks she's crazy, and she doesn't care if he _knows_ that she came from another very similar world in the future.

* * *

Sakura has been wanting to help Kiba for a long time now, and she will help him no matter what. Sakura and he had been training for a few hours as they had done everyday since she offered unless one of them were busy or had to do something.

"Kiba, what's… your relationship with your clan?" she asks.

"S-Sakura! Why do…? Why?" Kiba asks.

"You're always so shy and nervous. You're a shinobi, aren't you? Shouldn't you have a dog? It may be me being stupid because of a civilian mindset instilled into me, but can you answer me why you don't have a one like nearly every other Inuzuka does?" she asks. Sakura has had enough of this, and she will repair any relationship problems. She may not be Naruto, but she will help Kiba in his stead.

"I'm… not on the best of terms with my clan. E-everybody else is so… _happy_ and _confident_. They're always so loud and proud. And then, I-I… I'm _not_ ," he admits. He sounds so dejected and like he's going to cry, but she can tell he's not done yet. She knows he's not done, and she will listen to everything he feels he needs to say.

Kiba calms himself as he continues, "My sister would try to makes me… like everyone else. My _mother_ would try to make me like everyone else, but I wasn't like them. I'm… not like them. And i-it bothers me that they can't accept me. They claim that… 'the clan is like a pack and a pack sticks together', but I feel _isolated_ … I feel li-li-l-like I'm some _outcast_!"

He gets quieter, "And one day, I couldn't take it. _I snapped,_ Sakura. I hurt someone -- my sister. I broke my sister's arm and her legs by pushing her off this bridge me have in the compound."

He's whispering now, "I tried to apologize. I tried everything to make up for it. They wouldn't listen. And I've been so scared of snapping again. They wouldn't give me a dog because they were afraid I'd hurt them. I wouldn't. They hate me, Sakura. They won't forgive me for what I've done. I betrayed them. It's all my fault."

"Kiba," Sakura finally says, deathly silent, "don't _ever_ feel the need to be something you're not. Don't think it's your spot. You made a mistake. Everybody does. It's a part of life. It's what makes us human."

"Thanks, Sakura, but-"

"No," she cuts him off, "I'm going to make your clan accept you. Then, you'll get your own dog. Let's prove to them that you're worthy, Kiba. You're my friend. Am I yours?"

He's silent, and tears run down his cheeks. The Inuzuka smiles and nods, answering more confidently than anything she has ever heard from him, "Yes!"

* * *

"Would you be a miss Inuzuka Tsume?" Sakura asks boldly.

"Yeah. And who would you be?" the woman asks.

"Haruno Sakura, I'm on your son's team. He happens to be my friend, and I want to help him," Sakura introduces herself, explaining her purpose here.

"Him? Why? Why would you want to be friends with someone like him?" Tsume asks in confusion as she places her hands on her hips.

"Why?" Sakura repeats before answering herself. "Like I said, Kiba is my friend. I want him to be happy and accepted. You are not helping, you hypocrite.*

"Hypocrite! How am I a hypocrite?! I bet you don't even care about him! You claim to want to help him, but you're just changing who is truly is inside. Weak and cowardly," Tsume barks.

"Aren't the Inuzuka supposed to see all of their family as a 'pack'? What's so different about him -- Kiba -- your own _son_ that you can't trust him?" Sakura asks calmly.

"He hurt Hana. She was just trying to help him! And he pushed her off a bridge! She could have drowned!" the mother roars.

"She didn't though. And how long ago was that? What have you done to make him do this? He tries so hard to prove himself. He has to prove himself to be just as good as any Inuzuka even without the ability to use your clan techniques. I get the impression that you think he is lesser than the rest of the clan, you don't trust him well enough, and that you're very prideful. So until you can straighten yourself out, I will be having Kiba stay at my place. Good day!" Sakura finishes.

Sakura storms out, not listening as the woman asks her to wait. She will not. She stops and calls over her shoulder, "I'll give you a week, and I'll be back with Kiba. You better make the right choice."

* * *

"You didn't have to do that," Kiba whispers when Sakura finally returns.

"Of course, I did. We'll be meeting up with your mother in a week. It should be just enough time to face your fears. Hey, Kiba, can you keep a secret?" Sakura asks.

"A s-secret? Yeah…," the boy responds.

"I know of a world where you have a dog. His name was Akamaru. I believe you got him shortly after graduating. You loved him, and he seemed to love you back. You two were inseparable. You got along well with your clan, your sister, and your mom too. You were confident, arrogant even," Sakura laughs and retells all sorts of stories. Kiba laughs along and asks questions about this alternate world, about his other self, but none more than about his other self's dog.

* * *

"Kiba, I… I'm so sorry for everything. Please, forgive me."

"Okay, mom. I forgive you."

"Oh! You're here!"

"Hana?"

"Your friend talked to mom, and she talked to me. And we agreed that this gift is the most suitable to give you."

"You're… giving me a dog?"

"This little guy is Akamaru. Take good care of him, alright? Starting tomorrow, mom and I will be training you."

"Thank you so much."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A week and half down. 16 days to go. Sakura, you better get to training, girl!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has started for me, so updates will be later than "usual". The quotes being because I don't have a real schedule.

Sakura had been training to increase her chakra reserves. Her knowledge is much more than her physical strength as one would guess, so she has to train her body. She is on a break now when she sees Sasuke.

He has at least three boxes that are neatly wrapped with a bow on each one. He seems like he's used to this but is acting suspicious nonetheless. Does he have fangirls after all? No, that doesn't make sense. The girls in class clearly showed favor to Sai without giving a single glance at Sasuke.

Then, why? She follows Sasuke, hiding behind convenient objects or blending in with the crowd the many times Sasuke glances back. He finally reaches an empty training ground and huffs in annoyance.

"I'm trying to ignore you, you idiot," he says more to himself. She is certain he is not referring to her. Sasuke flips through some handseals -- the ones she now associates with the Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu -- and burns the boxes.

She is about to go down to talk to him when a hand catches her shoulder. She looks over to see Sai. He just holds a finger to his mouth and shakes his head.

"Stupid! Stupid! And his stupid gifts! I don't want anything but for you to leave me alone!" Sasuke yells. The Uchiha breathes heavily. Is he…?

"He comes to this training ground on the eighteenth of every month to burn these presents he gets," Sai whispers. "I'm trying to figure out who they're from."

"Do you know what's inside?" Sakura asks quietly.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, the idiot doesn't like it," Sai informs her. "Why are you here anyways? Shouldn't you be training for the Finals?"

"Shouldn't _you_ be training for the Finals?" Sakura counters.

Sai seems to be thinking about something before he finally responds with, "Touché."

* * *

Sakura writes what she needs to do before the Chūnin Exam Finals.

1.) Train Sasuke. (Naruto didn't have many moves.)  
2.) Train myself. (I wasn't useful until I trained with Lady Tsunade!)  
3.) Make sure nobody -- Sai? -- defects. (Sasuke hurt everyone in the end -- including himself.)  
4.) Help Hinata. (I think she's 'me' here. I'll have to help her get stronger than I was.)  
5.) Find out more about Akatsuki. (They are dangerous and any information that I can will be worth it.)

Sakura looks at her list and hides it. I would be no good if anybody found it. But first thing on the list is training Sasuke. She needs to make sure he knows a good Jutsu other than whatever… She stops for a second and wonders who 'Jiraiya' would be in this world. If she assumes the Sannin all switch spots. Jiraiya is definitely Orochimaru, Orochimaru is Tsunade, and Tsunade is Jiraiya. Sakura giggles at the thought.

Tsunade being a pervert that writes those explicit books? Orochimaru being Hokage? Jiraiya being… who Orochimaru was?

Wait. Tsunade was the granddaughter of the First Hokage. Does that mean Orochimaru could be somehow related to one of the Hokage? She can't imagine him looking like anything but himself. And none of the Hokage really fit what he looks like?

That doesn't matter. She should meet up with Sasuke and get to work on training him. She'll explain to him that she had a change of heart and wants to make sure all her friends are strong. And if _that_ doesn't convince him, she'll resort to Plan B.

* * *

She walks forward with an air of confidence. Her back is straight, her head is held high, and her face only betrays that she means business. Earlier she had stopped by Hinata's home to ask her about Sasuke. Hinata had thankfully been compliant and directed her to where Sasuke is apparently training with one of the Sannin.

Sakura is now heading towards the training ground when she sees Sasuke with Lady Tsunade. She hides behind a tree and watched their interaction. It's an interesting match-up to say the least, but they should be the same as their otherworldly pair of Naruto and Jiraiya. Sasuke is trying to make some sort of summon, it seems.

She decides to leave her hiding, not wanting to seem suspicious, and she walks forward. Sakura calls out, "Sasuke!"

He stops and turns to Sakura with a confused look. He asks, "What're _you_ doing here, Sakura?"

"Don't talk down to me like that. You act like you think women are lesser than men or that I'm lesser than you in general. We're in the same graduating class. I want to become better friends. Is that too much trouble?" Sakura asks.

"Well, no, but you've never cared before. Why should you now?" he asks suspiciously.

"I'm a kunoichi now. I'm supposed to be more mature. I want to act like it, so my first order of business is amending any broken or underdeveloped relationships," Sakura informs him, and she has to admit, it's only a half-lie.

"I don't know. Uh… anyways! I'm busy right now with Granny!" Sasuke redirects the conversation.

"I'm not old, brat!" Tsunade yells indignantly.

"Well, how about tomorrow? Find me, and I'll treat you to something good," Sakura tells him.

Then, she leaves without waiting for a response. She doesn't know what a Naruto version of Sasuke would like. Her Naruto didn't like vegetables, but her Sasuke liked tomatoes. Her Naruto liked ramen, but she's not too sure how her Sasuke felt about it. So she isn't sure what this Sasuke will like.

* * *

Sasuke and she have been sitting her for the past few minutes awkwardly, waiting for somebody to wait at their table or for the other to talk.

"Um, so-" "Sasuk-"

They both start and stop. Sakura takes the initiative, "I called you here today to discuss with you a deal, but I'll have to ask you some odd questions. So don't be surprised if I ask you something obvious."

"O…kay?" he says, clearly not really caring and making the kind of face that means he thinks she's weird. He has the expressiveness of her Naruto; that's for sure.

"First," she inquires, pulling out a clipboard, "what is your name and age?"

"Uchiha Sasuke. Age thirteen," he answers easily.

"Who are your teammates and sensei, Sasuke?" she asks.

"Hyūga Hinata and Sai. Sensei is Uchiha Obito."

"Oh? Uchiha? Can you tell me about him?" she asks curiously.

"After… _something with the clan happened_ , I've seen him around more often. And this one time…," Sasuke trails off, staring into space. He is most likely recalling whatever event happened.

Sakura snaps her fingers a few times to catch him attention. He jumps in surprise with an intelligent, "Hn?"

"Anyways," Sakura moves past the subject, "how are you training for the Chūnin Exams?"

"If you think you can beat me, you're mistaken," Sasuke tells her confidently. "I may have been the absolute dead last in the Academy, but I've gotten stronger, and I found a trainer."

"I bet," Sakura says with a cross of her arms, "that I can help you."

"…Help me?" Sasuke asks after a moment of silence.

"Yeah, but I have to know how many jutsu you know so far," she tells her fellow rookie.

"I see. That makes sense.

* * *

"He only knows one Katon Jutsu. He's an Uchiha. That's a little weird. And who did Madara switch with to make the place Niidaime Hokage?" Sakura asks herself as she paces her room. "Hashirama and Tobirama. In the books, Tobirama and Madara founded the village. Something happened, making Hashirama defect… That's it!"

"Hashirama is Madara," Sakura says in confidence.

"What?" she hears from her doorway. It's a confused voice that she doesn't recognize. She turns and sees…


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look out for more confusion. There is no shame in rereading the chapter or backtracking to make sure you read something correctly.

Sakura sees a man with hair much like her own -- bubblegum pink but his is shorter -- and he has red eyes without pupils. However, the man is taller. Sakura stares at the equally confused guy. Who even is this guy? She thought she had everything figured out; then, the world threw this in just to fuck with her.

"Hey, Sakura, you act like you didn't know you had a brother," he says

"I didn't," Sakura admits before she can stop herself.

"Well, that explains that. Now, what's this about Hashirama being Madara? Is there something you'd like to tell me?" he asks.

Sakura lies of course, "Oh, I was… thinking up ideas for a story. I'm interested in being an author. Um, who… exactly are you?"

"Oh, I should introduce myself. I'm an anomaly in your life. I am your brother. I am-" he starts giving some sort of speech.

"Stop!" she exclaims. "Your _name_ , please."

"Oh yeah. I'm Haruno Seichō. Now, _as I was saying_ , I am your brother. I am an anomaly amongst all others. I possess the great ability to see beyond. I also have an interesting ability to attract fellow anomalies to myself," he introduces.

"Wait. See beyond what?" Sakura asks in confusion.

"It's what I've come to know as," he informs her, " _ **The Fourth Wall**_. Don't ask where I got the name. I'm incapable of telling you. Maybe somebody beyond **The Fourth Wall** could hear me, but I don't think anybody's there now."

"Why is there a…," her face scrunches and wonders how he says it, "fourth wall?"

"No, no. It's **The Fourth Wall** ," he corrects her. "You have to say it in bold."

"I have to say it in what? How do I even-?" she looks at him weirdly. "I don't even know what you just _said_."

"See. If you don't exist beyond **The Fourth Wall** or have never seen beyond it, you'll never understand," he explains.

"Wait. How do you know I won't understand or that there's nobody there now?" Sakura asks.

"Okay. Let's test you then. If you ever forget my name, you can go back to this chapter and go to the eighth paragraph. If you ever forget what I look like, you can refer the first paragraph of this chapter," he insists.

"Paragraph. Chapter. You say that as if our life is…" she trails off.

"Now, I can give you an example of something that is so life-shattering that you _literally_ can't hear it if you want," he tells her.

"Then, why can you see and hear beyond… uh?" Sakura asks but trails off.

"Oh, I learned that clearing your throat first really helps when speaking in bold," he tells her. "Try it."

"Why can you see and hear beyond," Sakura starts and clears her throat before continuing, " **The Fourth Wall**?"

She coughs afterwards and rubs her throat. Sakura notes that speaking in that way -- 'bold', he called it -- makes her throat hurt, not to mention that it sounds really unnatural.

"Why? This world is not original. It was created by a creature of a higher realm. They control us and our world. Our world in fact was inspired by many others. They showed me a whole new world. You aren't real. I'm not real. Everything I saw or do or own is just a concept, or a pictures, words on a page," he says.

"I'm sorry. What? I… I didn't hear… I couldn't under- Oh. _Oh_. I think I understand hat you mean now. I knew you were speaking. I could hear you. I could see your mouth moving, but I couldn't focus on any one word," Sakura explains. "Even now, when I try to comprehend what you said, it's just… like it's unimportant. Or like, I didn't hear it in the first place."

"Exactly. You aren't allowed to know things you shouldn't," Seichō tells her.

"But why can _you_ see and hear and know these things?!" Sakura exclaims.

"Do you see my eyes? They weren't always like this. They were supposed to be green like yours, but there was a change. 'A change in script,' as I had been told that altered my appearance to fit with these new abilities," the pink-haired man explains.

"You mean, your eyes changed when you saw beyond?" Sakura asks.

"No, I wish it was that simple. My eyes were green. They were supposed to be green. There was an edit that brought me over to this reality that changed my eyes to have always been red and without pupils," he tells his 'sister'.

"So you travelled to another world?" Sakura asks.

He pauses for a moment and thinks. Something seems to click. As if he realized something about some ancient unsolved prophecy or something. He exclaims, "That's exactly it! You're a genius, sis!"

"I am?" she asks.

"Yeah. I'm the pink warrior that's going to help the world!" he claims.

"You know," Sakura starts, "I'm wondering now why I've been believing you or why you're telling me in depth all of this random information that shouldn't be told to a genin that is working hard to prepare to become a chūnin, but at this point, these things seem to not really phase me as much as they used to."

"Oh, speaking of becoming a chūnin, that's why I'm here. I learned another special ability during my time beyond **The Fourth Wall**."

"Wait. I thought you could just see and hear it. I didn't know you were actually _there_."

"Well, yeah. Where do you think I learned about that prophecy?"

"What prophecy?"

"Oh, this also has to with the 'change in script'," Seichō tells Sakura. "I was originally going to tell you about the Prophecy, but it seems it's too early to mention it or something. Maybe I'm supposed to foreshadow it, but what could I be foreshadowing?"

* * *

**You, the one reading this, _yes, you_ , read this new chapter. You wonder why there's an OC in an already hectic and confusing story. Furthermore, you consider many things. Perhaps you wonder about this Prophecy, this character who knows of paragraphs and chapters and that his life is a lie, and/or why this chapter has been dedicated solely to introducing this character and his abilities.**

**You, the reader, will be answered. Your comments, your very words left on this story will be heard from this point forward by this 'Haruno Seichō' throughout the story. Choose your words wisely, and don't overwhelm the inexperienced fellow.**

**You, the reader, wonder if this applies to the readers of the story that read _They're All Swapped Up_ on the reading and writing website of Wattpad. You realize unfortunately that _that_ privilege is reserved for ArchiveOfOurOwn users only.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has started for me. I've been meaning to say this for a few chapters now, but I've been forgetting. I'm not sure how the updates will be, but I'll try not to forget this story.

"Okay, I want to teach you two abilities that I learned during my time beyond **The Fourth Wall**. The first one is the 'Training Montage'. The other is the 'Time Skip'," Seichō informs Sakura.

"Um… what kind of jutsu are those?" Sakura asks. "I've never heard of them."

"Yes, of course. Well, the easiest way to explain these moves are to use them. However, I'll try to explain them. The Training Montage and the Time Skip are both Time-Manipulation Jutsu. The Training Montage slows time down over a longer period of time. This is better to use when you want to learn a new move. The Time Skip allows the user to speed time up, but they will still experience everything just at a faster pace."

"So one speeds up time, and the other slows it down? That sounds simple enough."

"Yes, however, there are no set handsigns for either ability. I was told that the abilities technically don't require handsigns, but it isn't uncommon for there to be. For example, our world's time skips use three centered astrik separated from each other with a single space each and are separated from other paragraphs using a single space," Seichō explains.

"I didn't catch that last part. Will you repeat that?" Sakura asks.

He sighs and curses before answering, "It's probably one of those things you can't hear. So you're allowed to hear about paragraphs and chapters but not the specifics of time skips. Okay, I can work with that. Let's get to work."

Seichō raises his hands above his head and shakes his hands ashe slowly lowers them all while saying, "Training Montage."

* * *

"I have one more move I'd like to teach you, alright?" he tells her.

"There's only two days until the Finals. Can you really teach me this ability?" Sakura asks.

"Maybe if I really push Training Montage as much as I can while you do a Time Skip, you can be ready in time to watch the big fight and be prepared for your own," Seichō elucidates.

Then, Seichō grins about something. Sakura asks, "Why are smiling?"

"I _elucidated_ ," he tells Sakura. "It sounds so fancy, doesn't it?"

Sakura groans at his stupidity, "Let's just get my training over with already."

And so Sakura uses a Time Skip while Seichō uses the Training Montage.

* * *

Sakura stands in the Arena with Temari, TenTen, Gaara, Sasuke, and Rock Lee. However, Sasuke had just barely made it to the Chūnin Exams in time. It's almost like a mirror of her own world. Some of the same events happen, but she'd be damned if they happened the exact same way. The world likes to fuck with her mind too much to allow her too much of a semblance of something she remembers.

The proctor -- not the same one as last time, she'll note -- informs them, "One participant backed out and the other isn't here, so there had to be a change in the order and pairings. Sai and Temari, Sasuke and TenTen, Rock Lee and Gaara, and Sakura, you will fight the winner between Sasuke and TenTen."

* * *

"Sasuke, you don't understand. Ino, she has been unrightly pampered to be the heiress of the Yamanaka clan when she is _weak_. I'm stuck being a lowly civilian-born girl with so much potential. You don't know what it's like, do you? Have you ever felt caged?" TenTen asks. "I live life, watching the days pass by as my needs are just out of reach because of a stupid clan!"

"But I do!" Sasuke exclaims, looking angry and upset. "I… I've lost everything. I'm constantly being patronized. People always hate or pity me. Except for one person and I don't want anything from him. I lost a clan because they were stupid. What I want, I can make I mine! I want to be Hokage! I'll make everything right that way! And you're a genius, aren't you? You can figure out a way to fix things for yourself, too."

Sakura stares down at the two who had stopped fighting for a while to rant and yell at each other. Now that she met Seichō, she notices these moments. The natural time skips, the spontaneous speeches, and even the flashbacks.

She thinks of her own world's Hinata. Quiet but always tried her best. She was passionate and loved hard. She could've managed a romantic relationship, but Sakura screwed that up. She missed.

She missed. She missed. She missed.

"Sakura, I can read your inner turmoil from over there," Sakura hears as she looks over to see her brother. The brother of this world's Sakura, Sakura corrects herself. She never had a brother.

 **Sakura needs a hug and to expirience some quality time with her bro!** *

Seichō glances around in confusion. Did he just hear words? Sakura needs a hug? The man shrugs and hugs his sister. He wonders if this will appease the otherworldly voice. Perhaps, that was the voice of someone speaking through the Fourth Wall.

"Wh-what's this about?" Sakura stutters quietly.

"You seemed upset and a little voice told me you might want to have a hug," the pink-haired man informs Sakura kindly.

"Well, whoever it was is right. I've been beating myself up about some… things," Sakura confesses.

Seichō snorts about something Sakura is sure has to do with **The Fourth Wall** and whatever weird business goes on beyond it.

* * *

"I heard news of my awesome as fuck brother being in the damn Chūnin Exams, fishfuck. You're going to come with me to cheer the cute little bastard on," Itachi claims as he leaves. He and Kisame could get information on said Jinchuriki while they're at it too. It's a win-win situation.

"What? Hell no. I hope you realize I'm not cleaning up after any bodies you leave behind, and if you leave a trail in the name of that poor kid you call you brother, we'll have to fight," Kisame explains.

Itachi sighs loudly and overexaggeratedly, "Alright, alright! I get it. Stop being such a bitch, fishfuck. We're going now though."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *AlexaHiwatari98
> 
> Also, thanks for being here.


	10. Chapter 10

**I'd like to try something out. It'll be like a contest of sorts. I want you to make the next chapter yourself. How would YOU guys the story to go?**

**I will, however, be having certain rules, so please read them carefully.**

**Rules:**

**The chapter MUST be over 1,000 words to be accepted. All of my other chapter are 1000+ words long, it would be unreasonable to make the next one shorter. Furthermore, I don't want the chapter to be extremely long. The limit will be 4,000 words.**

**Characters MUST stay in-character. (If you are unsure, contact me, and I'll help you.) I'm sure nobody wants this AU's Kiba to suddenly have his Naruto canon arrogance or for this AU's Itachi to be super nice and kind to everyone.**

**Please, be sure nobody is OP -- that is to say, Overpowered. I don't want Sakura, her brother, or any other characters to be unreasonably powerful. This wouldn't allow for any plot to develop if Sakura could solve all of her problems in a day.**

**When you have PUBLISHED the chapter, send me a LINK in the COMMENTS or DEDICATE the Work to me.**

*******

**Now, what is a contest without a prize? Of course, the winner will:**

**•get to have their chapter as the next chapter.**

**•have me leave a KUDOS and a COMMENT on any story of their choice.**

**THE DEADLINE is: Friday, 15 September 2017 at 11:59 CDT.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. And good luck!

**Author's Note:**

> I might continue this if enough people like it.


End file.
